Five year ago, Dekker had his eye surgery! If you’ve been here that long, this is old news. I remember feeling, even a year after his surgery, that I would never really even consider my wedding anniversary again because Dekker’s surgery felt like such a huge event. That February 11th would overpower February 7th, not in importance, but in emotional toll, maybe? Our marriage is hugely important! But Dekker’s surgery felt traumatic. Here we are, five years out, and while I can’t and won’t discount those feelings I had, we’re through that. We learned and grew a LOT from that experience, and I really wouldn’t take it back. The anger I held, I don’t anymore.
I thought a simple photo montage would be an excellent way to mark five years 😁
So we’ll start with right before his eye issues presented themselves. He was just two months shy of two years old.
Then they crossed, and I didn’t post pictures for a while because I was SO devastated. This picture comes from the blog post where I basically “announced” that Dekker’s eyes had crossed, and we were sad and struggling.
This was Dekker’s first pair of glasses. They were way too big, but what did we know? He never fought wearing them, though.
So glasses weren’t making any headway, and we had to start patching his stronger eye, to make the weaker eye work. This picture was his first day in patches. We bought them just out of the pharmacy section and I will say 🙅♀️ these were HORRIBLE! They tore the skin around his eyes. I cannot believe they sell these in junior sizes!
Very quickly after this, we learned about Ortopad and started buying his patches at the hospital. They cost a fortune but they were WAY gentler on him.
Surgery was next, because nothing we were doing what making any difference. You’ll notice those bloodied eyes are perfectly centred!!
Shortly after surgery, he got new glasses. To this day, they are the BEST fitting glasses he ever owned! We chose them from the store, and then he cried when we had to leave them there to actually get ordered and made for him.
Then Superstore glasses for his next prescription, because they were free! Woot woot!
Eventually, they broke, so there were these from Walmart! These also fit him really, really well. And somehow, they gave him a new confidence! He loves them.
And for good measure, because its so different, here is my favorite current-ish picture of Dekker without glasses. He looks like a sweaty teenager, just back from hockey or something.
I know this is old news for many of you, but I like having it all in one place for my own record. A history of sorts of Dekkers eyes and the progress he’s made. I’m SO thankful to God for how smoothly its gone 💙